I think it might be wise if you're traveling a fair distance but I can't see many people bothering.

Being pragmatic I'm going to assume the disease will be here in a year or two and start coppicing some of my ash trees, encourage even more diversity and get the seed bed sorted this winter ready for the collection of local seed.

At four this morning, something on radio 4 was talking about this. The FC were offering the same advice, but as a token, admitting the disease was coming, and there's nothing they can do. We have resistant ash strains, it they'll only be widespread in a generation. Might do swathes of damage, but perhaps it's just nature rolling through the world, and will simply be another stage in the ever changing landscape. One day we might learn not to rely on a narrow genetic range, but I doubt it.

Being pragmatic I'm going to assume the disease will be here in a year or two and start coppicing some of my ash trees, encourage even more diversity and get the seed bed sorted this winter ready for the collection of local seed.

I wondered whether coppicing would be a bit of a risk in case the fungus enters via the cut surfaces - have you seen any advice one way or the other (apart from the above daft stuff?)

Personally I'm all for encouraging trees to seed & breed up resistance - I do wonder whether we'd have beaten back Dutch Elm if the trees had been allowed to sprout from suckers, rather than being grubbed out wholesale in the 1970s

Being pragmatic I'm going to assume the disease will be here in a year or two and start coppicing some of my ash trees, encourage even more diversity and get the seed bed sorted this winter ready for the collection of local seed.

I've heard of others who are going to do something with the Ash they have at the moment rather than leaving it till it needs to be destroyed

Being pragmatic I'm going to assume the disease will be here in a year or two and start coppicing some of my ash trees, encourage even more diversity and get the seed bed sorted this winter ready for the collection of local seed.

I wondered whether coppicing would be a bit of a risk in case the fungus enters via the cut surfaces - have you seen any advice one way or the other (apart from the above daft stuff?)

I almost typed the word fell rather than coppice as I'm lucky and got the choice in many places of removing the ash and allowing several other trees to expand.

I would normally be worried of leaving wounds open to infection but if we're going to get 90% or more mortality rates I don't think there's much I can do. The trees get a fair beating during the summer and plenty of branches snap which leaves them open to infection anyway, plus deer damage etc.

I do know some trees can ward off / recover from infection if coppiced but I've no idea how this disease will react.

Being pragmatic I'm going to assume the disease will be here in a year or two and start coppicing some of my ash trees, encourage even more diversity and get the seed bed sorted this winter ready for the collection of local seed.

I've heard of others who are going to do something with the Ash they have at the moment rather than leaving it till it needs to be destroyed

Any advice on looking after the timber? They're not huge trees, some trunks are a good thigh size, but I'd like to keep the timber for years to come to make things like tool handles. I plan to keep them unsawn in 2m lengths under cover for now.